Laila Rouass to make a guest appearance in EastEnders

Laila's scenes will air in early August.

EastEnders will be welcoming Laila Rouass to Albert Square as she appears for a guest stint as new character, Ayesha in August.

Ayesha will arrive in Walford after receiving an invitation from Nish, and it’s quickly apparent she has history with him, Suki and the Panesar family. And it will transpire that Ayesha knew Suki and Nish a long time ago, but they haven’t been in touch for many years.

Best-known for her roles in Holby City, Primeval and Footballer’s Wives and speaking ahead of her guest appearance airing, Laila Rouass said "I cannot tell you how excited I am to be in EastEnders! I was born in the East End and grew up there, and there was such a buzz when the show started."

"Even though I was little at the time, I can clearly remember the first episode and Doctor Legg arriving at the flat where Reg Cox had been murdered. I’ve also known Navin Chowdhry (Nish Panesar) for many years, so it was great to work with him again and to do scenes with Balvinder Sopal (Suki Panesar) and the rest of the Panesars as Ayesha reunites with them. This is a lifelong dream come true!"

EastEnders continues Mondays to Thursdays at 7.30pm on BBC One with first look episodes available from 6am on BBC iPlayer